Marinades, Sauces, Rubs & Salsas
Iced Tea Barbecue Sauce
The annals of barbecue have seen some pretty strange sauces. This one may seem over-the-top, and yet, canned iced tea has a lot in common with the flavor profile of a good barbecue sauce. It’s sweet. It’s tart. It’s earthy and aromatic. What more could you ask for? Think of the bragging you’ll get to do the next time someone admires this sauce and asks you what’s in it.
Iced Tea Barbecue Sauce
Iced Tea Barbecue Sauce
Recipe Notes
- Yield: Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups canned iced tea (reserved from Iced Tea Chicken)
- 3/4 cups ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons A.1. steak sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Recipe Steps
Step 1: Combine the iced tea, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, liquid smoke, onion and garlic powders, and pepper in a heavy saucepan with 1/4 cup of water and gradually bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Reduce the heat to medium to obtain a gentle simmer. Let the sauce simmer gently until slightly reduced, thick, and richly flavored, 6 to 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding brown sugar or lemon juice as necessary; the sauce should be highly seasoned. If sauce is too thick or intense, thin with a little more water.
Step 3: Transfer the sauce to a bowl or clean jar and let cool to room temperature before serving. Any leftover sauce (in the unlikely event that you have it) will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for several weeks. Let return to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Tips
Think out of the box–this cutting-edge business philosophy is also good for barbecue. Sweet tea (heavily sweetened iced tea) is so popular at barbecue joints in Texas and the South, I thought, why not use iced tea mix in a barbecue rub and grill the chicken on a can of iced tea?
It sounds outrageous. It is outrageous. But being outrageous should be one of the goals of a grill master. And, besides, you’ll be surprised how well the tea flavor marries with smoke and spice in this chicken.
